Painting #3

6"x8"
Pears #3

More pears today.  I really tried to get more light and reflections into this painting.  I chose the pears that actually have that familiar "pear shape" and I think I like them better than those oddly shaped ones.  I didn't paint on Saturday, it was the first day of high school football, which couldn't be missed.  Painting everyday is challenging.  It's like trying to schedule daily sit-ups: you can always find a reason not to do it.  So, tomorrow, I'm going to try to wake up early and get into the studio, and be back in time for family breakfast.  We see how it goes...

Day #2

6x8
Pear #2

One weird thing about these pears, is their crazy non-pear shape.  They look more like apples than pears, but that's the way they came off the tree - not the way they were drawn, of course.  Below is a photo of the espalier pear trees which I planted in the back yard a few years ago.  This summer they  were finally loaded with oddly shaped pears, not the perfectly pear-shaped pears that you buy in the grocery store.  I'll stick with painting these odd ball pears for a while longer.  I would never have guessed that painting a dumb pear would be such a challenge.

Start at the Beginning

6x8

Pears #1

Today is the first day at my attempt to paint a painting a day for the next 100 days. I'm trying to be realistic about this and plan to paint about 5 paintings a week - that gives me a little wiggle room for the unexpected.  I really want to get better at painting from life, so its time to stop talking about it, and just do it.  I'm blogging to reinforce my commitment to make this happen and I must admit, this feels a little scary.  Plus, because I'm so darn critical about my work, I hope this will become an exercise in enjoying the process more and not focusing on a perfect outcome.  I'll be sharing useful information: tools, techniques, teachers, friends, locations and everything else that I learn along the way, so that everyone can learn more about plein air painting.